From the Green Hills
by finallyexploded
Summary: A fan-made origin story.
1. Chapter 1

Sonic was originally just a normal hedgehog, just as Eggman was originally a normal boy. However their stories are not quite chronologically tied together because Eggman was already a tenure professor on the verge of completing his third PhD by the time Sonic was born. He went by Professor Nick at the time.

After a sudden and unexpected divorce, Sonic's mom (Bernadette, or Bernie for short) sought council from hags, witches, psychics and magicians, some of whom were unlicensed. She was not entirely in her right mind when she trusted the advice of a sorceress to abandon her children and not to contact them until they were in their late teens.

When Bernie placed her last basket down in a meadow, she tried to stop herself from crying. This was fulfilling the prophecy's instructions by the book but she couldn't fully believe it.

I was never very good with relying on my own judgement but I didn't know how to stop the divorce, she thought, turning her face from the basket. She walked down slowly and imagined sinking into the earth with every step. Perhaps when the mysterious prophecy was fulfilled, her husband and children would forgive her and everything would be okay again. She turned around one last time to look at the basket Sonic was in.

He looked up with big inquisitive eyes. His feet thumped against the basket's edge in a rhythmic pattern.

Right after his mom turned his back on Sonic for the last time, he managed to crawl out of the basket. This would have signaled to her (had she seen it) that Sonic was already a gifted natural at using his limbs. Perhaps she would have changed her mind, swept the baby back up in her arms and had some comfort.

Who cares about prophecies? This is my child! What was I thinking? Abandoning my own children with no protector and with millions of things that could kill them? All of Mobius can go up in flames, I don't care! I just want my children to be safe!

But she didn't look back and so the only thing she could think of, trudging down that hilly area, was whether a good mother would abandon her children or a good wife would get divorced.

So Sonic found himself, still very young, lying down in a meadow alone. The grass was a substitute for motherly comfort, and a big palm tree was a substitute for fatherly protection.

The occasional rain was at first a horrific occurrence. Sonic hated how his bright shiny warm world could quickly become cold and wet. In time he learned to use his basket as a roof by flipping it over and hiding underneath it. This was better, but it still wasn't optimal because Sonic enjoyed exploring, and there's no way to explore the world under a basket.

Learning to walk was hard and made his limbs tremble but the rewards that came with it were amazing. He could search the prairie with ease and he could explore far more of it than he had previously dreamt of. Besides, getting grass stains from crawling was no good.

One day, when he had gotten too big to hide under the basket during a rainstorm, he decided to leave the meadow in search of better shelter.

After about thirty minutes of walking, he reach a short wall made up of sedimentary rocks. Using the rocks that jetted out as footholds, he was able to climb up over the wall with minimal trouble.

Although he was more interested in satisfying his hunger, he stopped to reflect this new view. He was on the bank of a small stream. Just beyond the stream was a barn and beyond that, pastures and fields extended to the horizon.

Sonic was familiar with streams. There were several across the meadows and fields he trekked, so he never needed to worry about dehydration. Still, he was frightened of drinking from them because a big ugly fish sometimes popped up out of the water and made him trip over from the shock.

With hesitation, Sonic peered into the water. It was clear and shallow and it didn't look like that big fish was anywhere close. After a quick drink, he dashed across and landed in a field with short grass.

The barn captured his interest. Big and red, it looked so mysterious to Sonic because it was unlike anything he'd ever seen. He circled around it, tracing the walls with his paws.

After some inspection, he realized that the entrance of the barn could be opened. Peeking inside, he heard the bray of horses and then the mooing of cows in response. This wasn't particularly welcome company, so a retreat was in order.

The good news was that there were plenty of insects around the barn for a nice dinner. Contented, Sonic fell asleep.

He dreamt that he was an invisible spirit floating in a dimly lit room. On one side of the room a medium hummed in her chair, eyes closed. Across a table, his mother eagerly looked to the medium as if she was placing all her hope in that meditating witch.

"Hmmm... mmmm... mmmm..."

The humming turned into a musical tune and Sonic flew around the room, dancing and singing along.

As if she noticed his off-key singing or his uncoordinated moves, the witch stopped abruptly.

"You are in danger!" she said, pointing at Bernie with her eyes still closed.

"You will be able to survive, but only if you hide yourself quickly! Take your children far away and leave them in separate solitary places!"

Bernie was genuinely distraught by this advice but Sonic didn't yet understand facial cues or words. But he instinctively felt that something was wrong, like a bitter taste that's hard to describe.

"The alchemists..." the witch whispered, gripping her head and sweating profusely, "...have found a way to turn living creatures into metal. In the near future that technology will be used to build an empire!"

"Please!" Bernie interrupted. "Is there any way the children can be safe with me?"

"I see many possible paths. It's very rare that more than two of you survive if you keep them."

This type of witch specialized in predicting future newspaper headlines. Although her last statement was purely conjecture, she did vividly imagine headlines which proclaimed the genocide of mobians or the devastation of mobian forests. And of course the most prominent headlines were that mobians were turning into robots at record number.

Sonic saw these newspapers floating around the room, their weird symbols and images leaping off the page and bouncing onto his head. This didn't hurt him but the impact left him cold.

The witch continued giving instructions to Sonic's mom, but this was basically white noise to Sonic. He was too busy shielding his head from the oncoming newspaper articles, which were now raining down faster and faster - getting him soaked!

Opening his eyes, Sonic realized it was raining! What a weird dream! Quickly he walked around the barn and wished he still had that basket to hide under.

Then he found the barn's opening again. The company of barnyard animals was not particularly enjoyable but it was a far better option than that awful feeling of being drenched and chilled.

Opening the door, he was pleased to find the animals quiet. Some were asleep, some were eating, but none seemed to notice his entrance.

Ironically enough, the attitude of the barn animals was equivalent to the average students' attitudes when attending a lecture by professor Nick.

The larger animals were boxed in to his left and his right so he only saw their heads, if that. Fences would do the trick for smaller animals such as swine. A wooden staircase directly ahead invited a challenge for him to climb to the second story and see all the animals from a birds'-eye view, which he was excited for but he was too cold and damp at present. He first decided to curl up by some hay in a corner.

Suddenly a giant bat swooped down and landed in front of him.

"Well I haven't seen any mobians in a long time. Where are you from?"

Being a bit perturbed her sudden arrival and unable to understand what she was saying, Sonic simply stared up at her with his big eyes.

"Do you have parents? Are you lost?"

The bat, named Rouge, found herself staring back into Sonic's eyes. His expression of wonder remained unchanged.

Rouge sighed. "I guess I'll have to take care of you until your parents show up."

Rouge had always wanted to be a mother (especially with a good-looking husband). Unfortunately she knew practically nothing about raising hedgehogs and there wasn't much literature (or handsome and knowledgeable men!) that she could take advice from. This would have to be a trial-by-error experiment.

But she wasn't too worried. In her mind all she needed to do was teach the hedgehog a few skills to be self-reliant. This had come naturally to her, leaving her own family at a very young age to hunt for emeralds.

Tomorrow morning I'll begin teaching him, she thought to herself as she flew back to her loft.

Typical of a young girl bat who is interested in treasure hunting and is a bit boy-crazy, her loft was divided into two sections. The first contained various gems and maps hidden in nooks. She also had small tools such as pickaxes or knives - not intended to hurt anyone but more than ready to threaten. She found the pickaxe to be the most reliable instrument since she mostly searched for treasure in caves and where beautiful gems could be lodged between several boulders.

On the other side, she had a calendar featuring the hottest mobian men of the year and a CD case of a famous boy band.

Since almost all of her items were stolen goods, she wasn't able to obtain anything extremely heavy or bulky like a TV or CD player. Even if she did get those fat items, it wouldn't have that much value since she hated things that made more noise than necessary. So instead of listening to her CD, she just hummed along to what she imagined could be a song from that album and stared dreamily at the calendar.

"Tomorrow I shall teach that hedgehog how to steal!"

 **Author's Notes:**

DONT LIEK, DON"T READ

Haw haw, but seriously I hope you enjoyed. This is very different from my earlier styles and it's my first time experimenting in this genre so feel free to tell me if anything was a home run or if anything was a chore to read.

Also some of the events in this fic may contradict canon due to my limited knowledge.


	2. Chapter 2

"Alright, you see the cows that farmer is milking?" Rouge asked, pointing down from a ledge.

It was very early in the morning and a few thin rays of light landed on top of several empty glass jars.

Rouge always hid her most valuable possessions in the dark and couldn't fathom why anyone would do any important work near light unless they were a complete beginner. Most of her own thievery was conducted during nighttime, usually in dimly lit alleys or caves. Leaving a possession out in the light was asking for it to be stolen and stealing a possession in the light was asking to be caught.

This particular quest would require a whole set of advanced tricks. Rouge was not good at math so she couldn't calculate her exact speed, trajectory, or how much noise her weight would make when she hit the ground. However she was as good as a deadly assassin when it came to instincts.

Her shadow would fall to the back of the barn, so that area would have the possibility to attract the most attention. But even if the farmer were to look that way, Rouge knew from experience that she could escape in time without being seen herself.

Giving the hedgehog the 'shush' signal (which he copied), Rouge waited for the perfect time.

The farmer was clearly not suspecting anything - he would be as helpless and unobservant as a dumb farmer (Rouge was not the best at analogies). He was also a bit groggy and his limbs were stiff.

Twelve glass jars - six filled with milk, six left to go.

Sonic saw Rouge peer down with unblinking eyes, capturing the solemness and stillness of a gargoyle statue. The most important part of the art of thievery was waiting for the perfect time. Hours of vigilant stalking could shatter in seconds - a guard could turn his head two seconds earlier than she expected, or a door could close after she sprung into action - then heads spin, lights turn on, and people call for security. That's a den of trouble.

Four left -

Then as Rouge saw it (or maybe even before she saw it), the bat dived straight as a missile, closing her eyes for an impromptu self-imposed challenge.

The farmer had turned his head to sneeze.

Rouge shrieked in an extremely high pitched range and saw everything clearly in her mind, perhaps even more clearly than if she was using her eyes. She grabbed a filled bottle farthest away from the farmer before the sneeze began and she sprang back up in the air before it was finished.

After a few minutes, and without an inkling that he had been robbed blind (although with a suspicion that there was a family of mobians secretly living in the barn since that was the only thing he knew he was allergic to), the farmer carried the filled jars back in a container and walked out of the barn.

"Did you see that?" Rouge asked the hedgehog.

"It may have been too quick for you but I actually replaced his filled milk jar with an empty one - leaving him with twelve and no need to worry. A novice would take two or three, a second-rate would take one, but the classiest pros have methods where their deeds become invisible even under microscopic inspection or with an accountant logging every transaction."

Saying this put her short trance where she imagined the hottest boys from her mobian calendar stealing in the most inconspicuous ways and then promptly asking for her hand in marriage.

She quickly snapped out of it.

"How about a drink?" she asked, offering the jar to Sonic. She in fact never drank the milk herself but stole on occasion to improve her craft.

One day, just to challenge herself, she stole two jars milk, dumped out their contents, and replaced them empty all while the farmer was busy milking. This was almost too close because one of the empty jars fell over. A novice mistake! However the farmer never noticed that.

Ever since she took care of Sonic, Rouge stole milk jars more often to give the growing child some nourishment. Sonic was beginning to learn how to speak and although he was no prodigy at that, he was able to obey simple commands and he did so with enthusiasm. He explained to Rouge that he preferred exploring and running rather than sitting around in a dark barn like she did.

This was useful to her because her very reason for being in such a rural environment was that there was an emerald gem rumored to be hidden in one of the fields. So when evening came, Rouge would lead Sonic to a field and tell him to run down a lane until he saw something green and shiny hidden in the dirt. If he saw it, he was to report back to her.

When night came and it was too dark to distinguish colors, Sonic was to trace his hand along the dirt.

"Now let's search for something smooth."

This type of life was rather monotonous but Sonic enjoyed every minute of activity. He was excited whenever he ran in a field with new weird fruit, asking Rouge to explain each interesting type.

"That's not edible for me," she would say sometimes. Rouge wasn't sure what mobian hedgehogs could or couldn't eat so when Sonic encountered a new type of plant, she told him to sample just a little and wait to make sure it didn't upset his stomach.

Their happy life was broken up when, from the fields, Rouge saw the farmer carrying a shotgun and knew it was intended for them. He had realized their unwelcome company at last!

Quickly she made a checklist of all she had to do. Sonic and her would have to stay hidden and she knew he didn't like that. Then at nightfall she would gather her belongings from the barn and finally she would leave with the hedgehog.

The saddest thought she had that night was that another mobian would likely find the emerald. It would probably be somebody less talented than her. It would probably be a clumsy oaf who just happened to trip over it! That last thought left her steaming!

With a sigh, she traveled with the hedgehog to a more populated region. One where humans and mobians were both welcome - Robotropolis!


	3. Chapter 3

Robotropolis' mayor had recently amended some laws to be stricter against mobians than humans since mobians generally disobeyed more laws pertaining to jaywalking and theft.

Many people were concerned by this, enough people that the mayor decided to hold a new election and step down. The most important issue in voters' minds was the balance of life between mobians and humans.

Some of the more extremist candidates believed that Robotropolis should make two completely new lawbooks, one for mobians and one for humans. Others believed that all laws and governments should be abolished entirely. Coincidentally, these candidates were all muscular, armed to the teeth, and had prominent wounds. One candidate was mute and spent the length of his rallies waving at his audience and selling books. Still another claimed to be from the future and said that all citizens should vote for her to prevent some sort of trigger that would hurl all of Mobius into a dystopian scrap-heap. But very few people paid attention to her because she didn't have a clear stance on the mobian/human issue.

It was during this election cycle that Rouge landed in a dark alleyway which she believed to be relatively safe. Ignorant of the political climate, she believed that tomorrow would be a perfect day to have Sonic steal for himself for the first time. Robotropolis was known for its open air markets and food vendors. The easiest place in the world to steal food! Grab an apple, present a phony bill, and it's as good as eaten.

Sonic squirmed while tucked under her wings but that condition could hardly be improved. He would hardly be safe in these areas. Rouge was better at blending in. With her eyes closed again, she used echolocation to pinpoint everyone else in the alley. There were a few gang members, a green bird who was flying back into the bustle of the city, and a suspicious suited figure sitting still with his back against the wall. The important part is that no one seemed to notice her.

When she awoke, she inspected all possessions. They were all intact, which suggested that the night had been uneventful. It was daybreak and the people from last night were long gone. The city was ready for some bamboozlement a la Sonic!

"Alright, see those shopping carts with the tomatoes in them? The owners are busy taking care of their kids so they won't notice." Rouge whispered these instructions as silently as she could from her niche.

"Now wait for my signal - 3 - 2 -"

"Snooping past, Rouge? Y'all dicey."

Oh dear, Rouge thought to herself. This was Bunnie the Rabbit, an acquaintance of sorts. For some reason Bunnie was able to spot wherever Rouge was hiding. They had originally met at a party where Bunnie took it upon herself to strike up a conversation with the apparent recluse. Unknown to her, Rouge was actually in the middle of a careful operation at the time.

Rouge hated that stupid distinguished southern accent, the way her bright fur stood out, and those giant bunny ears! She speculated that if she could get her heart beat to be a little quieter, then even Bunnie wouldn't be able to hear where she was.

Being a professional thief didn't just mean being invisible to the audience. There was also the mastery of one's own emotions. Rouge was not yet able to seamlessly transform from sexy diva to master manipulator to obscure acquaintance to invisible phantom. No, to her each heartbeat was the pounding heartbeat an amateur would make, each heavy breath the gasp a novice would permit.

"Look, Rouge, I got them, what do I do now?" Sonic shouted, raising those two bright red tomatoes in the sky.

Rouge gasped aloud. What was Sonic thinking? Were her instructions not clear? She dove under a cart and waited for the perfect moment to deescalate this ensuing drama.

But it seemed that Sonic was doing okay on his own, dodging every grab and even literally stopping on a dime to change direction instantly.

From his perspective, Sonic was having the time of his life. Juggling tomatoes through a crowd of people (some of whom seemed very competitive) was rather exhilarating and dramatic. His worldview was not yet fully formed to understand how theft made other people poorer. To him, this was a fantastic game which some people happened to be unusually mad about.

Now looking down at the scene from a rooftop, Rouge was impressed with Sonic's fluidity. True, this was an entirely different philosophy of theft than what she had tried to imprint on the hedgehog but he seemed to be in his element. He made occasional mistakes (such as bumping into a cart) but fixed them so fast (such as pushing said cart over and creating an obstacle) that Rouge guessed he had nearly S-tier reflexes. Live and learn!

From Bunnie's perspective, she had just passed a suspicious-looking Rouge hiding under a desk when Sonic made his proclamation. With fast reflexes herself, she surmised that this young'un didn't understand the problems he was causing that he would need to be taken to his parents (or an orphanage) in hip-hoppity time.

She was about to ask Rouge to help her round this kid up but Rouge had already disappeared by the time she turned her head back. She rushed into the action to catch the hedgehog herself and then pay for the damages. It was turning into a dust-storm with everyone kicking up the place.

Then Bunnie blinked to wipe some sand from her eye, and as suddenly as it had started, the hedgehog was gone.

"Wow kid, you really are impressive," Rouge told Sonic after she swooped down and hoisted him up onto the rooftop with her. It made sense, retroactively, that Sonic would prefer to jump right into action rather than wait patiently for hours. This just meant that he would have to live his life as a bandit or outlaw.

Two tomatoes. It was a decent effort, but they both got squashed in the fray. That's still okay for a first day. How did my first day go, Rouge asked herself.

It was quite a while ago. She couldn't quite remember what happened except that somehow she got caught and her captors sprayed her face with permanent white paint.

"Try hiding from us with that glowing face!" they jeered.

Most robbers would be devastated and give up their live of thievery then and there. But incidentally enough, her mother experienced the same punishment and she was still far from retirement. Rouge wasn't going to be outdone by her own mother!

No, she would steal the title "World's Greatest Thief" and keep it all to herself!

"Call me Rouge!" she shouted with tears welling in her eyes. Her white face would become a tattoo worn with pride. And her victims would never get the chance to see it!

For the next few days, Sonic became a widespread infamous figure over Robotropolis newspapers. There were mobian thieves who stole more and were less famous than him, but he was the first to flaunt his speed and challenge the law with no fear.

"As if they need more thief mobians to damage their reputation," a person, grumbling, sitting on their bench said.

"Goodness sir, he's just a kid. I could pay you in exchange for what he stole if it would help make amends," his mobian neighbor called, reading his newspaper from his own porch.

Although Sonic's raids were successful and highly publicized, he barely stole any food. The highest priced item he grabbed, a small sandwich, was worth around 15 mobiums.

Sometimes Rouge would help by grabbing him at the last second and then zooming out of sight but she noticed he was becoming more independent. More often than not, he could outrun his chasers and meet Rouge in the dark alley where the pursuers would have long given up the chase.

"Rouge," Sonic asked one night, "why do we have to meet in this dark alleyway?"

"Well..." Rouge thought, "this has always been my favorite place to sleep in Robotropolis. It's almost become my home, albeit one with occasional fellow outlaws."

"What's an outlaw?"

Rouge sweated a bit, having to rationalize in her head how she wasn't the bad guy.

"It's a person who commits a crime."

"What's a crime?"

"Go to sleep."

As Sonic tucked himself in, he felt disconcerted. Two things in particular pressed on his mind: 1 - why did Rouge prefer this creepy place and 2 - why was everyone else so angry when he stole? Trying to think up a rational explanation, Sonic fell asleep.

 **Author's notes:**

 **"Snooping as usual, I see?" - my personal favorite gag from this chapter. Kudos to you if you recognized the reference before reading this.**

 **Also, I've forgotten how the FFN website stretches the typography from what I have in my document's final draft. It's personally very annoying to me. I recommend using fanfiction mobile so you can copy and paste the text and then read this in a word document if it's an issue to you as well.**


	4. Chapter 4

Rouge scheduled the next day exactly like the last few. Sonic was to arrive at a new location in the open market and bring back some fresh undamaged food. Once he would be able to master that, Rouge only needed to teach him how to find safe places to sleep on his own and then she would consider him mature.

Giving the signal (which Sonic now obeyed), Rouge could feel a nervous sense of energy wrapped up in the hedgehog. Sonic had actually chosen the location today. She would pay extra attention to whatever he had planned.

Dash!

Sonic's limbs sped wildly. He was in peak athletic condition and could grow up to be a professional marathoner if he applied himself.

A sudden revelation made Rouge's heart pound feverishly. There were armed guards hiding all around the stands!

Quick Sonic, come back, she signaled.

But Sonic didn't notice this or any other sign. He was busy smelling the delicious aroma of a new type of food, a so-called hot dog. Reaching the stand, he grabbed three and was so overcome by the strange and wonderful smell that he began eating one then and there.

Instantly the guards seized their chance. This hedgehog was fast and extremely annoying but whoever caught him would become instantly famous and likely receive a generous reward from the new mayor (depending on who got elected).

Almost too late, Sonic noticed his pursuers and dropped the half-eaten hot dog on the ground. He spun wildly and zig-zagged in tight places but to his horror they were right on his tail. And they were gaining! The hedgehog was familiar with various walkways and paths but these guys were apparent professionals, jumping over tables and landing on impossible ledges just to get a little closer.

From out of the blue, strong hands latched onto Sonic and pinned him to the ground. No expense was too costly to contain this little rascal; he was put in handcuffs, chains, and even a straitjacket!

And that's when Sonic realized that he hated losing.

All of Robotropolis was outraged by the news of the Blue Blur. All except the newspaper editors themselves who didn't have to work hard to find a front-page issue.

"He stole about 120 mobiums in total."

"No, you didn't see my apples that he took!"

"He stole a few peaches from me too!"

Recording exactly what was stolen was a near impossible (one might say fruitless, haha) task. Vendors would exaggerate or outright lie in hopes of being reimbursed. Some of them reported property damage but those claims were dismissed.

Based on eye-witness accounts, detectives were able to trace the various routes Sonic took each of his five days active. This helped tremendously because they were able to dismiss a lot of vendors who operated in different sections. So even if the remaining vendors' claims were taken at face value, Sonic couldn't have stolen more than 200 mobiums worth of food. At least they were reaching a believable number!

What was actually impossible was getting a consensus of what Sonic's punishment should be. Every candidate and voter (except the one who claimed to be from the future) published their opinion and shared it without reservation. Professors gave lectures on the subject. Policemen would confer with criminals and candidates of similar political factions would hold debates. It was even rumored that babies learned to speak quicker so that they could better elaborate their opinions.

In the end, most people were willing to toss him in jail indefinitely and let the next mayor determine his sentence. The election would be held in just a few days anyway.

The jail cell was not a very fun to place run around in. It was cold and damp and dark, so it reminded Sonic both of rain and Rouge's ominous hideaway. But it turned out to be a great place for meditation and self-reflection. Sonic began to understand how stealing was wrong and how it hurt other people.

From the hours spent pondering all his bad actions in the cell, he eventually resolved that he would never steal again. He would use his running abilities for good. And to show the world that he truly had changed, he vowed to never eat another hot dog again!

When Sonic made that last resolve, he forgot how hungry he was. All the scents of the open-air market rushed back to him. He could almost taste a firm but succulent plum or soak his teeth into watermelon slices. And then the scent of hot dogs hit him.

Like a caffeine addict who had never smelt coffee before, Sonic remembered how it seemed like a craving of his was promised to be satisfied the first time he smelt the food. Unlike the majority of the market, hot dogs were served warm and had meat!

He wondered how long he'd starve in the cell. He looked at his limbs which were basically thin strings attached to his torso, but they had always been like that.

"Hmm. So they finally got the so-called Blue Blur."

A fellow prisoner sat in an adjacent cell.

"What did you do?" Sonic asked.

"I was arrested for jay-walking." Then with a short laugh she added, "Strange, isn't it? The two crimes mobians are known for and we increased both statistics."

Unlike Sonic, this inmate seemed to be enjoying her time in the cell. Through the widely-spaced bars he saw a purple cat relaxing on her hard wooden bench as if it were a hammock.

"I didn't realize stealing was wrong -" Sonic began.

His thoughts were interrupted by a guard handing out rations. Two loafs of bread, somewhat stale. Sonic was so hungry that it didn't matter. Greedily he wolfed them down and felt a little better. Now he could concentrate on what his new friend was saying.

"If you've been watching my campaign, I'm afraid I haven't done a good job of explaining that I'm actually from the future. You're probably doubtful and curious of how this is possible."

Sonic was not in the least bit curious.

His inmate, also know as Blaze, sighed. Why was she telling him this? Did she just need to vent to someone?

Blaze was never a social creature and the days of campaigning left her exhausted. But currently free from responsibility, she felt a strange form of loneliness. Her former campaign manager, Silver, took the baton and was running for mayor himself. He would be too busy to reach her except for short sporadic visits.

Besides, this blue hedgehog, as far as she knew, would still be allowed to vote from jail. So why not explain her predicament?

"Living in the future is like having the secrets of the past revealed. So to clear up all doubt, first let me say that your mother's name is either Bernadetta or Aleena. At least, that's what her name is in most dimensions."

Sonic didn't know his mother's name so this bit of trivia knowledge left him unimpressed.

"Alright, you'll just have to trust me. Silver and I come from a dystopian dimension about two hundred years in the future. Life in that world is so bleak that we often attempt to go back in time just to escape. But this time we're on a mission to stop the Iblis Trigger. We aren't sure what it is exactly but I believe that it will be prevented if one of us gets elected.

"Unfortunately I jaywalked on my way to my penultimate rally. I'm afraid I left Silver in a rather hopeless predicament because we have only one more rally left. Would you mind if I turned on the TV when he's scheduled to be on?"

Sonic nodded, having nothing better to do. That's when he noticed Blaze's cell was a bit nicer and cleaner than his. She had some furniture and a small TV in a corner. Her crime was very minor so her sentence length was reduced too.

This made Sonic think about his bad deeds again.

"How can I make up for stealing?" he asked.

"Well," Blaze thought. "I don't know. If I had known that I was going to meet you, I could have paid off your debt easily. There are many abandoned banks in the future with money rotting away-"

"I meant morally."

This stumped Blaze even more. "I don't know," she said at last. "But you don't have to let your mistakes define you."

She was almost giving this advice to herself as she remembered all the times she couldn't control her fire powers and accidentally hurt her friends. Silver, her best friend, was very understanding and never held it against her which almost made it worse in a weird, unexplainable way.

The two of them sat for several hours in silence. Sonic had plenty of time to digest Blaze's comments.

Not defining yourself by your mistakes... How would he define himself?

He thought about his resolutions. Don't steal and don't eat hot dogs. That was a good path towards becoming a good guy but he felt he needed one more.

His mind jumped to Rouge. He saw for the first time that she did things wrong. Indeed her whole life consisted of various misdemeanors. But in her own eyes, she was a hero for collecting exquisite gems.

Hero. What does that word mean?

A hero is someone who saves the world, right? That's what Blaze and Silver were trying to do. But their methods (like Rouge's) were boring. Waiting for hours on end all for one moment of action.

The idea hit Sonic like a thunderbolt. He wouldn't be an ordinary hero, no! He resolved then and there that he would become a spectacular hero, risking his life with seconds to spare and plundering bad guys' lairs whilst mercilessly taunting them. In some way, he would save Mobius!

The gust of bravado that visibly washed over Sonic amused Blaze because they were both still trapped in a dreary prison. However she tried to conceal it because she knew how it felt to have personal childhood aspirations mocked.

Then she noticed that the time had come for Silver to deliver his first and final speech.

Quickly turning on the TV she was excited and scared because Silver had not begun yet.

Cameramen zoomed out towards the crowd, a fairly balanced mixture of mobians and humans. Some were walking off but a few sat down patiently waiting. Blaze estimated that Silver's message would reach possibly a hundred people in total, which would show a growing interest in their message. But it would still be nowhere close to the attention they needed if he was to have a chance at winning.

Unfortunately the chairs were set up unevenly. Blaze surmised that Silver probably had to set them up himself last minute. From the jail she was an asset, able to double-check his calculations and write his speeches, but she wasn't able to help with any manual labor (or teleportation of objects, as he had helped her when she was running).

Silver walked up to the podium and received modest applause. His head bowed, he looked at his cue cards with worry, still struggling to read them. Although he was smart, there were barely any books in his dystopian world that he could learn from.

"My fellow citizens," he began, but he realized he was too far from the microphone.

"My fellow citizens," he tried again, this time too close. He mentally kicked himself for not practicing his speech before his debut.

"My fellow citizens," - Perfect.

"My fellow citizens, I am from the future!"

The crowd audibly gasped at this bold statement. What was this hedgehog thinking? Was he insane? Sure, there was some other candidate who also claimed to be from the future but she never orated in this grand manner.

"The future there is very dark and grim. I come in order to alter history for good."

A collective cheer rose throughout the quickly filled seats. Silver was actually somewhat annoyed by the enthusiasm, trying to read his cue cards without distraction.

"If you vote for another candidate and they win, it may set off the Iblis Trigger. That is a bad thing!"

What? An Iblis Trigger? That sounded like something one would say over and over again to summon a demon.

More and more people flocked into the rally. It was at this point that a local electrician (whom Silver hired to turn on the lights before the event began) arrived and turned on the show lights.

People gasped; this was perfect lighting. The spotlight displayed Silver in radiant glory like the heavens shining down on an angel. Other lights coincidentally shone down on crowd members who were particularly encouraged and joyful from his presence.

"If you vote for me, I promise to do my best governing the city. I'll study and enforce the good laws and get rid of the bad ones."

A bit unnerved from all the attention, Silver decided to wrap things up quick. He scrambled through his cue cards but couldn't find the last few. Fine! He'd have to do the ending impromptu. What's a popular catchphrase that he could sign off with?

 _I am not to be trifled with_ \- No, this sounded too competitive and might make the citizens scared of coming to him with their concerns.

 _There's no way I'll lose!_ \- No, that's a bit too presumptuous.

 _Now I must fight for the future_ \- No, this may lead Mobians to think that the only priorities he had were futuristic.

He raked his brain for a noticeably long time. Audience members were starting to get worried but it was no use! It's no use! It's no use!

"IT'S NO USE!" he shouted before he could stop himself.

"...er, to vote for someone else. Thanks and goodnight."

Then he walked offstage.

Quite obliviously, Silver delivered a perfectly orated speech. Audience members who now comprised of almost all the populace went wild with cheering and shouting for their beloved hero.

"Silver! Silver! Silver!" they chanted for solid minutes on end. His speech, they believed, would go down in history books as the greatest show-stopping staged event ever.

Even Blaze was impressed. She never knew Silver had that natural charisma and evidently the crowd liked it. Maybe this would be enough to win after all.

Thus it was even more disappointing, a day later, to find out that somebody else had won. Silver visited Blaze at her jail cell to explain the news.

"Yes, I thought the crowd liked it," he told her, "but apparently right after my speech, Professor Nick hosted a rally of his own.

"He showed up with the five guards who captured you," he said, pointing to Sonic, "and said those guards were formerly criminal mobians themselves. But with new technology that he helped develop, the former criminals turned into obedient robots that would assist the public from now on. He even had so much confidence in his technology and his eminent victory that he changed his name to Robotnik on the spot."

"Yes, I remember," Blaze added. "Professor Nick was a bit radical against mobians in his speeches. I'm afraid _someone's_ recent actions may have swayed the public's mind."

"That's not all!" said Silver. "He also plans to continue this process, turning all criminals into robots. In other words, the two of you are not safe!"

"Robot-schmobot," Sonic said. He didn't know what the word 'robot' meant but it sounded silly. Even a bit cartoonish.


	5. Chapter 5

Silver and Blaze ultimately failed their mission and were ready to transport back to their home dimension. They were concerned about Sonic but he promised he would figure out a way to save himself. Reluctantly, the duo vanished and Sonic immediately regretted losing their company.

He was back alone in his boring, cold, damp, dark cell. But whether he knew it or not, he was a changed hedgehog. From now on he wanted to do things the right way.

So when Rouge came to his cell in the dead of night to bust him out, Sonic had a very peculiar reaction.

"Sorry Rouge, but I've realized that stealing is wrong and that the right thing to do is to wait for my sentence."

Sonic had gone batty!

"Listen, hon," Rouge hissed. She always called people 'hon' whenever she got flustered. "We don't have much time."

But Sonic was obstinate.

"You're such a weird hedgehog," she concluded. Sure, a life of thievery was not everyone's style, she got that. Notwithstanding, Sonic enjoyed running and it made no sense why he would stay trapped.

This was also a strike against Rouge's ability to teach; her first student was an apostate. At least they weren't related by blood. She didn't understand the psychology of mobian hedgehogs, but surely a bat like herself would be a more faithful apprentice.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye forever."

"Goodbye Rouge. I-" Sonic wanted to express some sort of gratitude for Rouge's involvement in his life but before he could find the right words, the bat had vanished.

Maybe I won't have kids at all, Rouge thought. They're a major distraction. That's probably why my mom is second best.

And again, Sonic found himself alone with nothing to do. He couldn't second-guess now if living morally was worth it.

In fact, he barely had a moment to regret his choice because almost immediately after Rouge left, a guard arrived.

Jiggling his key chain, the guard whistled a popular mobian tune. Then he unlocked Sonic's door.

"You're free to go," he said gruffly.

"But I thought old 'Nik was going to turn me into a robot?"

This triggered a coughing fit from the guard. When he recovered, he said, "I get my orders from the top and they say you're free to go. By the way, you also got mail."

Sonic looked at the paper the guard handed him. In the center a picture of a mustached hedgehog was smiling. The rest was text which he couldn't understand.

To Maurice "Blue Blur" Hedgehog

From Charles Hedgehog, Spagonia University

Dearest Maurice,

I've heard about your rambunctious escapades from the Robotropolis newspapers. What luck that I could find you! As your only known relative in a functional mental state, I insist that you come visit me, once you completed your time, of course.

Chuck Hedgehog, Researcher

"What's it say?" Sonic asked impatiently.

"Says here your name's Maurice."

"What?!"

Not yet a universally known figure, he had yet to be addressed as Sonic or Maurice. Rouge simply called him 'hedgehog' and the local newspapers christened him 'Blue Blur'. This revelation that he had an official name was not a very pleasant one.

"I'm gonna make a note of that," the guard chuckled to himself.

Sonic thought he heard the guard's voice crack a few times as he hastily read the letter.

When he finished, he told Sonic, "Look where I'm pointing. That's where the university is, according to these directions."

For some reason, the guard knew that Sonic was good with directions when he had visual cues.

"Now go! Leave this city at once! Don't show this paper to anyone in Robotropolis!"

The guard's tone of voice grew worried, as if there was eminent danger unless Sonic fled.

He didn't need to be convinced twice. Sonic sped off with the paper, the only possession to his name.

Rouge breathed a sigh of relief, not knowing how long she could keep up the guard impersonation. In reality, she had pick pocketed the jail storage days ago and decided to take a uniform if she needed a plan B.

She had also searched through Sonic's mail and confiscated the letter. Only when he proclaimed that he was going to live an honest life did she acknowledge that he would need a new guardian.

She thought she heard footsteps of an actual guard when she told Sonic to leave. It irritated her how correct she was sometimes.

"Hey! Who are you? Where is Blue Blur?"

Coming up with a good reason for Sonic's disappearance on the fly would be insane even without having to maintain the guard persona.

There was no other choice. Thinking quickly, she struck him over the head with the blunt of her pickaxe.

Perfume would be so much less violent, she thought to herself as she quickly locked him in a cell.

"Sorry about that, handsome. Hope it doesn't hurt to much when you wake up." And with that, she flew away into the night.

It was ironic how Sonic thought himself morally clean and was the most well-known outlaw in Robotropolis by the next day. A mobian who snubbed his nose at the law and the authorities were powerless to prevent his thefts or detain him! All authorities except for Robotnik and his robots, that is. Without any other competent judicial system, the populace would have to rely on him solely.

Sonic was oblivious to any political shifts in Robotropolis because his trip to Spagonia was largely spent in solitude, only broken when he came to hospitable houses to receive directions and perhaps a meal.

Sir Charles, more commonly known as Chuck, very rarely stayed in his apartment at the university for more than a day or two. Most of his research was spent out in forests or prairies, sometimes for months on end. His belief was that one couldn't fully understand the properties of a warp-zone or a power ring without direct observation.

Some of his peers were sympathetic to his views but for each trusted friend, it seemed as though twenty or so laughed behind his back.

"He's just chucking up another theory," they would giggle whenever he shared a discovery and proposed from it that some advanced science-fiction technology could be realistic.

Besides that, he had strained relationships with the librarians because he regularly took books with him on his journeys and return them overdue in noticeably worse conditions. A book titled 'A Treatise on Temperature and Pressure' was returned frozen. Another book based on obscure time travel theories began to disappear and reappear at random from the library shelves. Some books were never returned and appropriate fees were charged.

So it wasn't very odd that Sonic actually found Chuck waiting patiently by a pool in a forest.

Sonic groaned. Would all authority figures try to instill patience?

But suddenly out of the water a ring jumped up and Charles snatched it.

Perfect! He scribbled something down in a notebook.

He was interrupted when Sonic appeared with the dogeared letter.

"Excuse me Charles but why is my name Maurice?"

Over the next few days, Sonic grew to appreciate Uncle Chuck. He always had a little story or tidbit, most of them relating to mechanical inventions. Sometimes in his more depressed states he would talk about his personal history and all the regrets he had.

But what Sonic loved most about Chuck was his inventions and experiments and how he often allowed Sonic to try them or be his guinea pig.

"Free range! Let your authentic reactions commence, whatever they may be!"

Sonic got to play around with a remote-controlled airplane, a harmless laser pointer, and his personal favorite, the Experimental Sneakers, a redesign of one of Chuck's earlier inventions.

Due to the potential high speed of the shoes, he was not allowed to wear them in wooded or populated areas. But whenever he found a clearing, he would beg Uncle Chuck if he could use the sneakers and the elder usually obliged. Occasionally he would halt the little hedgehog to make adjustments and look at the wear and tear. He scribbled down thoughts and formulas furiously because Sonic was unusually fast in those shoes.

Uncle Chuck guessed that the reason Sonic was so good was due not to physical stamina but the lack of inhibitions he had. The technology actually had nothing to do with hedgehog's feet. Instead, the shoes frequently emitted hormones affecting (Uncle Chuck would say 'unlocking') different areas of the brain. Certain brains were more receptive to the hormones than others. He tried the shoes himself and on other friends with varying results, but no one gained enough speed for Chuck to consider it a success. He had the rather crazy notion that mobian hedgehogs could reach incredible speeds but no one ever did because they never learned how to run properly. When Sonic confirmed his hypothesis, Uncle Chuck realized the dangers of the equipment. Having no good place to hide his work, he destroyed the shoes along with all blueprints of them.

He destroyed a lot of his more dangerous inventions and formulas over the years. The last time he let someone look over his technology, a machine for robotization, the blueprints practically became public domain.

So one day after dinner, Uncle Chuck told Sonic that he destroyed the shoes.

Sonic was dumbfounded. Those shoes were amazing! Every step in them was like running in a roller coaster.

"Now Sonic, I want you to go run in the field with these regular shoes." It was previously resolved that Sonic would henceforth go by his middle name.

Begrudgingly, Sonic walked out of the tent they were staying in. The sun faded into the horizon as if metaphorically resembling Sonic's loss of spirit. He believed he would never have the opportunity to run miraculously fast again.

Sure, he would still be a fast hedgehog, able to outrun the vast majority of people he met, but he wouldn't be the fastest thing alive by a long shot.

Much to his surprise, as soon as he started running, he found that he was going at the same insanely fast speed as he had when he wore the Experimental Sneakers. He wanted to ask Uncle Chuck how it worked but he didn't want to stop!

"Don't go so fast, Sonic, you'll set the ground on fire!" Uncle Chuck yelled in Sonic's general direction.

Kids these days, haw!

Sonic was extremely thankful and wanted to do Uncle Chuck a good turn. But the old hedgehog lived a very solitary life and didn't rely on others unnecessarily as a rule. At most he asked Sonic to do occasional chores.

Finally Chuck finished his research about power rings and was ready to return to Spagonia. Sonic wanted to test out how fast he could get there but he had to settle for a leisurely walk at Chuck's pace.

"Ya know, Sonic, I think your dad would be very proud if he could see you."

"Hold it. You know my dad? Where is he?"

"Heh, easy there speedy. I actually haven't heard back from him for a few years now. The last letter he sent me said your mother was expecting. The last time I saw him was a little later when I used roboticization technology on him to save his life. He was badly injured in a battle, you see. Since then I've been searching for your family whenever I was free from research."

This prompted a whole host of questions about Sonic's family. What was his father like? Did he have siblings? Whatever happened to separate him from his mother? How did his parents meet?

Sonic's line of questions seemed to trigger a melancholic response from Uncle Chuck. Quite out of the blue he warned, "Listen Sonic! There may come a day when you like a female hedgehog and she seems to like you in return. You must be stoic and pretend as though she were the last thing on your mind. Never expose your true emotions too early or she will abandon you!"

I'm not sure whether this was good advice but Sonic took it to heart.

The walk to the university became a lot quieter. Neither hedgehog said much and there wasn't much to be said.

Finally after a few hours they arrived at a towering building like Sonic had never seen before. Most houses in Robotropolis were less than three stories tall but Spagonia University seemed to climb to the stars.

It was indeed true that Spagonians were most proud of the university, an architectural masterpiece.

The populace all agreed on the importance of literature and Spagonia University contained the biggest and most exotic library in the whole city. There were books intended for all age ranges, newspaper articles from every major city in the world and paper made from every known mobian tree. Suffice to say, the library was exhaustive and always expanding. All books were arranged in alphabetical order and at least twenty librarians were assigned to each letter. It was always in operation, as was the rest of Spagonia university.

Each department had hundreds of professors and tens of thousands of students, most being human. As Uncle Chuck explained, humans were on average smarter than mobians but there were some exceptions.

"Am I an exception?" Sonic asked.

"If your cerebral cortex can compete competently, certainly," Uncle Chuck teased.

They went up an elevator to arrive at Uncle Chuck's apartment. It was very bare with only a bed and a few books which were probably overdue. Reaching out of his backpack, Uncle Chuck pressed some buttons on a remote and instantly the room transformed into a computer lab.

Now that it was transformed, Sonic could see certain sections of the wall carefully sawed and rigged up and floorboards that didn't match the overall layout.

"Be sure to lock the door, Sonic. The authorities would probably kick me out if they knew how many modifications I've made to this apartment."

Having a secret computer lab in one's room was actually not that uncommon in Spagonia University but it was technically on the rule books as a violation.

"Professor Pickle?" Uncle Chuck called on his intercom.

No answer, static.

This was rather odd since unlike Chuck, Pickle spent most of his time at the college.

"Hm... I thought he didn't have any classes this day of the semester. I'll just leave a message."

Chuck pushed a green button on his keyboard. "Hello Professor Pickle! I just returned from finishing my research on power rings. My developments have been quite extraordinary. For instance, I learned that, in the right conditions, power rings can actually remove all effects of nausea!"

Abruptly the static on Uncle Chuck's screen switched to a camera view of Professor Pickle searching frantically around his room.

"Oh, Chuck, it's terrible!" he moaned. "You wouldn't believe the amount of sandwiches I made out of stress."

"What's the matter?"

"My recent assistant, Tails, is gone and I fear that he has traveled to the most dangerous city on Mobius - Robotropolis!"


	6. Chapter 6

Ever since Miles (or Tails, as he preferred to be called) figured out that his parents were abducted by aliens he had been fascinated by the idea of flight.

He was sure his parents were held captive somewhere in outer space, hoping that they were still alive.

Thus as soon as he learned how, he built prototypes and small scales of rockets, airplanes, and helicopters. The study of birds did not escape his interest. Eagles' talons and woodpeckers' beaks were drawn and diagrammed in his notebooks. Tails even invented a machine to study the mating songs of blue jays but the results were inconclusive.

Naturally his desire to study took him to libraries but the local libraries only contained outdated or elementary books on the technology he sought. However, they did have books about Spagonia. Spagonia, containing the largest and most updated ensemble of books was immediately promising to Tails.

When he got there, he believed he truly had a chance to learn how to construct an aircraft that would reach his parents. By luck, he met Professor Pickle when they both reached for the same book.

The professor was actually only an expert of the digestive system of mobian ants but cosmology was a hobby of his. Impressed by how much the little fox knew, Pickle decided to take Tails under his wing, so to speak.

Tails was enthusiastic with each new discovery he made and he loved to tell the professor the status of his projects.

Professor Pickle was absentmindedly sipping tea when Tails burst into his room to tell him of a city that had recently begun to produce an excess amount of metal. Finally he could get the parts to build his aircraft for dirt cheap!

Without a glance up, he allowed Tails to stock up on sandwiches for the journey. When he realized what had happened it was too late. Tails was gone and his refrigerator was empty.

Now with super-sonic speed the Blue Blur was able to travel to Robotropolis in less than an hour.

It was startling to see how much the landscape had changed over the past several months. For one, the area was desolate and completely silent except for the stirring of cold wind.

Many townspeople had accidentally broken laws and were promptly whisked away by robots to an unknown location. The rest got the hint and migrated to other cities and forests.

Sonic didn't know what to make of the unexpected drop in population but he thought something was very fishy.

He tried to remember everything Uncle Chuck and Professor Pickle said about Tails.

"Something about being small and orangish... huh..."

He called the fox's name several times, peering into alleyways.

Then he came across Rouge's former hideaway. The alley which was formerly littered in and contained a lot of dust and grime was pristine. The sandy ground was replaced by metal panels in mint condition.

"Looks like everything here is silver or gray. An orange fox should really stand out more!"

Just as he finished mumbling to himself, Sonic found out there was no ground beneath him. He had walked into a trapdoor!

"No jaywalking," a robotic voice played over dozens and dozens of speakers along the underground tunnel. Sonic tried to run up but the angle was too steep to get a footing.

When he came to, he found himself locked up in a cage in a shiny metallic room where a flying baby fox examined him.

"Bet you never saw a flying fox before!" he said.

Tails explained how he had read of roboticization from a book by Uncle Chuck (one that he probably meant to destroy). Although Tails was unable to understand a lot of the formulas presented, he was able to create a rudimentary ray gun that could roboticize small things like fingernails or toes. He decided to experiment on himself and roboticized certain parts of his tails, using them like propellers to fly.

"Some of the metal bits are microscopically small. You probably couldn't even find them with a comb - not that I'd let you in the first place."

Tails went on to explain how that was the reason he was able to avoid all the trapdoors and pitfalls. Not even the guards could catch a flying nuisance out in the open!

"Then why are you still here in Robotropolis?" Sonic asked.

"As I was getting the last bits of metal for my project, I heard you shout my name. Then I followed you through the tunnel."

"Well I was here to rescue you. But it looks like the roles are switched."

Tails became indignant. "Professor Pickle! As if I need to be saved from some wacky goon who just so happened to figure out the advanced secrets of roboticization! I even believe the process is reversible if enough force is applied in key areas of the machinery-"

"You know about Robotnik?" Sonic interrupted.

"I read about him in Spagonia."

"Ever read how to break out of a cage?"

"Nope."

Sonic trashed about in his cage hoping to rattle the lock while Tails searched for an updated Robotropolis law book to see if there would be a description about the cages prisoners were kept in.

After about thirty minutes, Tails returned hauling a fat book.

"Alright, here's the most recent one because it's written by Robotnik."

"More like Robuttnik."

Tails giggled. Whoever this hedgehog was, he sure had a snappy sense of humor.

He turned to the appropriate page and his smile fell.

"Uh oh, looks like the bars are pure steel. I'm afraid you'll be getting completely roboticized soon and I don't think I can help. It was nice knowing you, err..."

"Sonic."

"Nice to meet you."

Sonic tried to come up with a plan but he couldn't focus with Tails' tails spinning like crazy and generating an annoying noise.

"Could ya land for a sec? I gotta think!"

Tails descended. "Sorry about that. I even forgot I was flying, it just comes so naturally to me now. My legs will atrophy to spaghetti at this rate."

Just as Tails landed, a security alarm went off.

 **WARNING INTRUDER ALERT**

 **WARNING INTRUDER ALERT**

 **WARNING INTRUDER ALERT**

Now it was really hard to think over that din! A new challenge arose. Robotic levers automatically turned and barred every exit with steel!

That's when the doctor entered.

Ever since the population had dwindled down to one, Robotropolis' average IQ increased by 300 percent! Robotnik was not happy with visitors and had to mentally remind himself that everything was under control.

He looked at the security cameras before entering the underground room. Just a mobian fox and a caged mobian hedgehog, lost convicts in need of reform. He breathed a sigh of relief. This wouldn't be long.

"Hello fellow citizens of Robotropolis. You seem to have broken my city's laws. Please face the consequences of your actions and follow me."

"Robotnik!" Sonic shouted. "You don't want to govern citizens like a good mayor, you just want control!"

"And what if I do?" Robotnik yelled back. "I've done nothing illegal. You - aren't you that hedgehog who stole and helped get me elected?"

"Yes I am. But I've changed! And you can too!"

"Oh really? How?"

"By letting us go free," Tails opted.

Robotnik laughed. Two miserable criminals begging for their lives by trying to appeal to morality. They had no cards on the table and lost before the game began. With a snap of his fingers, Robotnik ordered his guards to carry the animals to his main chambers where he kept the Roboticizer.

Unlike Tails' dinky gun, Robotnik's Roboticizer was a crowning achievement of technology and seemed to transcend the boundaries of science with its capabilities. It was a cylindrical glass prison, much like the room it was in. Large enough to easily fit an elephant yet precise enough to measure the wingspan of a flea, it truly was a one-size-fits-all and a glorious thing for one to behold before they began their new life as a robot.

"The operation will be painless if you obey," a robot guard informed them.

"What do you get out of this, Robotnik?" Sonic asked in desperation. He had one last hope - perhaps he'd be freed from the cage before he was put in the machine. Robotnik probably underestimated his speed and he could run off with his free will intact.

"Do you see the view outside?" Robotnik asked. They were now on the top story of a building and could see metal rooftops extending to the horizon.

"It's literally perfect. No corruption. No humanity, no mobians, no life, anywhere. An everlasting robotic world. This is the future I want for Mobius, the evolution of the world. But humans and mobians can only evolve so much. Robots can evolve forever."

"But robots don't have free will!" Tails protested.

"Right now they don't, of course. I believe it is scientifically possible. Until then we shall have to make sacrifices."

And saying that, Robotnik chucked Sonic into the Roboticizer.

Sonic was now in a steel cage in a fully-functioning Roboticizer in a room surrounded by robotic guards and a madman in a city with tons of trapdoors and alarms. In other words, he was in the perfect place to apply his final resolution. But how? He had maybe a minute before he became scrap metal. If he failed, Tails would be the next victim of the merciless system. And then others from Spagonia might form search parties!

Then the weirdest thought hit him - was being a robot really so bad? Some robots could match speeds close to Sonic. Others could fly into space with no want of oxygen. Still others had built-in perpetual motion machines and nifty gadgets like propellers or chainsaws. Boy, a chainsaw would sure be useful in this situation!

Wait - chainsaws? Propellers? Sonic remembered Tails saying how his legs would atrophy to spaghetti because he used his tails so much. And Sonic never used his little stub of a tail.

"I have super speed. Can my legs cut through steel?"

The answer to that question would determine whether Sonic could save the world.

* * *

Using all his energy, Sonic spun his legs like mad. Perhaps he could replicate the motion of Tails' tails.

He paused to breath. There was a noticeable dent in his cage but his current pace wouldn't be fast enough to escape. The floor of the steel cage was already being processed. Sonic could see a red line moving vertically, nearly reaching the soles of his sneakers.

He tried kicking again with all his might but the second time he missed the bars entirely.

"What's going on?" Robotnik snarled, looking with wonder at the spinning hedgehog.

Indeed, Sonic had built up so much momentum that he spun like a chainsaw in midair.

He stopped due to extreme dizziness. The red line was now up to the top of his shoes.

Tucking his arms in, Sonic kicked wildly in the air a third time. Now he was even faster!

With seconds to spare, Sonic spun and ripped through the steel cage and the protective glass of the Roboticizer as if they were bowling pins.

His momentum carried him too far and he accidentally landed on a robot guard which appeared to be heavily damaged.

The robot cracked open entirely and a harmless pockie emerged from the rubble.

"What? NO!" Robotnik shouted, his most prized possession damaged and malfunctioning.

"Great work, Sonic! If you spin and dash at the robots we can free the trapped people inside them and reverse the process of robotization!" Tails said.

Over the course of the next few minutes, Sonic and Tails ran furiously throughout the city to find any robot they could.

Robotnik could no longer order his guards to attack or restrain the animals; they would just Spin Attack and release the trapped citizens inside. He could even stop the foul mobians himself because both were too fast for him.

With tears trickling down his fat cheeks Robotnik ordered Operation Detonate. It would essentially destroy all of Robotropolis with explosions and bullets flying haywire but at least the criminals who dared to stand against him would perish.

Sonic and Tails felt a deep rumbling in the ground.

"Oh no! An earthquake! We need to get out of here fast!" Tails cried as speeding bullets grazed his fur.

Sonic was too nauseous to say anything. Being completely new to the art of Spin Dashing and Spin Attacking, he overdid it and was developing a massive headache. Even if he were in a better condition, it still would be difficult to dodge every bullet and collapsing structure while making sure not to fall into a trapdoor.

"You like that, hedgehog?" Robotnik called from an aircraft, high in the sky and safe from the fireworks. "I'll let you in on a little secret - I'm petty! And I've never lost before. Let's see if your minuscule brain can outwit the prepared plans of a genius!"

"Hey," Sonic shouted back at Robotnik. His headache was throbbing and he wanted to hurl but he didn't want the doc to know it. "I was smart enough to get out of that Robo-thingy, that should count for something."

And if to emphasize his point, he tapped his head lightly.

Sonic's head was always covered in a thick set of hair that formed into something like a spiky afro. It actually disproportionately outweighed the rest of his body, another point which was probably also contributing to his headache.

But as he went to tap his head, he felt something... plastic?

He reached for whatever that was - Rouge's CD! How'd that end up in his hair?

For some reason, Rouge's CD must have stayed undetected in Sonic's hair for at least months on end. Inspecting it, he saw that it was entitled 'Chuck Rocks the House with the Boyz'.

Uncle Chuck was a musician back in his youth?

Before Sonic could speculate further, the CD started to glow in his hands. Not only was the CD a full-length album with multiple romantic songs featuring a guest guitarist called Shadow, it was also one of Chuck's first attempts at inventing a power ring!

The heroic hedgehog immediately felt rejuvenated and his head cleared. The CD worked!

"Watch this!" Sonic shouted triumphantly at Dr. Robotnik. And then Sonic ran as fast as lightning.

He could see bullets moving in slow motion, as if they were traveling in thick soup. Buildings took minutes to collapse and everyone he rescued talked too slow for him to hold a conversation.

So this is what hyperspeed feels like, he might have thought if he had paused to reflect on his sudden energy boost.

He took multiple trips carrying all the humans, mobians, pockies and rickies and pickies to nearby forests where they were safe from the destruction. It was helpful that Tails and the mature cuckies could safely fly out of harm's way on their own because his arms were getting extremely tired and the effects of the power ring was wearing off by the time Sonic completed his last trip.

Everyone was safe. If people were going to hold a celebration, they would have to wait until tomorrow. Sonic had fallen asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

"Happy Birthday, Sonic!" everyone said when Sonic entered a clearing. Since no one knew when his birthday was (and he was overdue for more than a dozen celebrations anyway) they decided to host one as soon as he woke up.

"Greetings, Sonic," an old squirrel said, approaching him. "You've brought your friends to a very peaceful place. Last night, while you slept, I told them they could stay but only if they followed my rules. I am the king of this village, after all."

"Certainly, your highness," Sonic said, shaking his hand. "I didn't mean to trespass on your territory."

"Not at all, not at all. Now the real party begins!"

It was a wonderful free-for-all with everyone doing what they loved most. Young mobians played variations of tag and hide and seek, teen mobians gossiped and formed cliques, and old mobians talked about their former lives in Robotropolis. The idea of a monarchy was especially appealing to them. Gone were the days of political turmoil and elections and rallies! Now they could live in peace and quiet.

And of course, no one declined to eat lots and lots of delicious treats. Sonic even found a food that he liked which would be an adequate replacement for hot dogs - chili dogs!

It barely needs mentioning that the chefs who Sonic had previously stolen from were so grateful for being freed from robotization that they forgave him on the spot.

When the party died down and everyone lounged or relaxed, a mobian asked if they should sing the Knothole Anthem (for that was the name of this village). But the king replied that Knothole didn't have an anthem.

This led to some whispering. What? No anthem? Why are we in this barbaric place anyway?

Thinking quickly, Sonic offered the king his CD.

"These songs were made by my uncle. Perhaps we could use one of them as our anthem?" Sonic hadn't heard any of the songs yet and was curious how they sounded.

"If they're relevant to Knothole, certainly."

"Oh, I believe they are," Sonic lied.

And so everyone gathered round and sang along.

 _Girl, I love you and I want you to know_

 _I think about your sexy lips all day_

 _But girl why - why are you letting go?_

 _I didn't pay the tab, just for you to walk away_

 _Our love was an adventure_

 _With the mirth of a Saturday morning cartoon_

 _But you buried my heart underground, now you're my X_

 _And that makes my heart go Boom! Oh, baby_

 _You mutilated my heart and tossed it in a blender_

 _Burnt it, chopped it, our love wasn't meant to end there_

 _But like a vampire you sucked my heart dry_

 _And I'm lying on the floor asking baby, why?_

From then on, no one complained about Knothole's nonexistent anthem.

Sonic lived in Knothole for many years with his friends. He would go on to eventually find both his parents. His father was roboticized with a different form of technology, so Spin Attacking didn't work on him. As far as I know, they are still trying to find a way to bring his free will back.

But I have no doubt that Sonic will succeed. He's such a stubborn, silly hedgehog after all.

 **The End**

 **Author's Notes:**

Thanks for reading!


End file.
